Ball-type liquid applicators



March 21, 1961 w. E. FILLMORE 2,975,466

BALL-TYPE LIQUID APPLICATORS Filed May 13, 1957 INVENTOR wILLmn Rfiummz ATTOR S slightly modified form of ball holder.

United States Patent BALL-TYPE LIQUID APPLICATORS Filed May 13, 1957, Ser. No. 658,767

1 Claim. (Cl. 15-572) The present invention relates to improvements in balltypeliquid applicators .formed largely of polyethylene or similar. thermoplastic material and has for its principal object the provision of simple and effective means for avoiding stress cracking" in certain critical zones.

Applicators of the character to which the present invent-ion pertains operate upon a principle and to some degree incorporate structure similar to the disclosure in R. H.

Thomas Patent No. 2,749,566, issued June 12, 1956,

titled Dispenser.

In the specific applicator here involved and which incorporates my invention, it comprises a ball holder formed of polyethylene or similar thermoplastic material. This holder is of generally cylindrical form and has its lower end provided with an apertured transverse web and an internal ball seat immediately thereabove. A dispensing and applicator ball rests upon both the annular seat and the web end is pressed into firm contact with both incident to-application of a screw closure cap or such cover.

Owing to the manufacturing methods utilized in producing this apertured web, it and contiguous portions of the holder are inherently weak in certain zones with the result that stress cracking in these zones often results when one applies the closure cap so tightly that the ball applies undue downward pressure upon the web sufficient to distort this element well beyond its elastic limits. This is very easily and inadvertently done.

An object of my invention is to avoid the above noted objections and incorporate in the ball holder and closure cap features which will positively prevent the possibility of application of any such degree of downward pressure upon the web.

Another object of my invention is the provision of cooperating abutments or shoulders on the'ball holder and closure cap so positioned in relation to the ball,

closure cap panel and associated parts as to positively terminate downward seating movement of the applicator ball short of the point at which undue pressure could possibly be applied to the web.

Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Fig.'1 is a vertical sectional view showing my invention incorporated in a ball-type'liquid applicator which is secured to the neck of a glass container.

Fig.2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the closure cap removed and the. ball separated from its seat.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially In the illustrated embodiment of myinv ention, it is incorporated in a fitment intended for attachment to a Patented Mar. 21 1961 internal screw threads 13 of a closure cap 14. A diametrically reduced upward extension 15 on the threaded neck 11 terminates in a flat annular radial rim 16 which defines a filling opening 17. Immediately below the annular rim 16, this upward extension 15 is formed with a generally downwardly facing annular abutment 18 intended for holding engagement with a portion of the applicator fitment, as will be apparent presently.

The applicator includes a ball holder 19 which is of generally cylindrical form with the upper portion of the cylinder having its interior surface 20 shaped to conform to the curvature of a portion of the applicator ball 21 and of such axial extent as to enclose a major portion of the ball as shown in Fig. 2. inwardly or downwardly of the ball accommodating recess 22 the housing is reduced in diameter to provide a depending neck 23 which, as shown in Fig. 2, fits loosely in the container neck 11 and a transverse web 24 partially closing the lower end of the neck 23 and formed with a plurality of dispensing apertures 25. At the upper end of the neck 23, an annular ball .seat 26 is provided, this element assuming the form of an annular rib facing generally upwardly and inwardly toward the axis of the fitment. The inherent ability of this web 24 to assume a perfectly flat position as indi cated in Fig. 2 or in any event return approximately to that position from .a concavo-convex form as suggested in Fig. l, is relied upon to unseat the applicator ball 21 immediately upon removal of the closure cap 14 in order that dispensing and application of the contained liquid may be effected.

Separable connection between this ball holder and the container 10 is obtained through the formation of an attaching skirt 27 as a part of the holder, such skirt being disposed concentric with and radially outward from the neck 23 of the holder and including an annular internal bead or shoulder 28 designed for holding engagement with the abutment 18 on the glass container. This skirt is of greater diameter than that of the remaining portion of the housing or holder but of less outside diameter than the threaded neck 11 of the container. Also the design of this skirt is such that it provides at its upper end an annular radial shoulder 29 or abutment intended for engagement with a downwardly facing annular shoulder or abutment 30 which is formed internally of the attaching skirt 31 of the closure 14. These shoulders 29 and 30 are so positioned axially in relation to the recessed panel portion 32 of the closure cap 14 that the ball 21 cannot be moved downwardly into engagement with the web 24 and seat 26 to a degree that would distort the web and adjoining portions of the neck body beyond their elastic limit. Thus both distortion of the web to such an extent that it could not function as a ball unseating means andstress cracking of the thermoplastic material with at least the same endresult just described, are entirely avoided.

In Fig. 4, an internal annular head 34 is formed on the ball holder 19 to aid in securing the ball 21 against possible accidental displacement outwardly, as might occur from time to time, with removal of the closure cap 14, because of the liquid on the ball surface efiecting some degree of adhesion between the ball and cap. The bead effectively prevents such separation.

Modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope-of the appended claim.

In a dispensing container, the combination of a rigid container having an upwardly positioned substantially cylindrical neck defining a filling opening and formed with external peripheral screw threads, said neck having an upper extension terminating in an annular radial rim, said. upper extension having an external "annular groove in the neck and havingits upper interior surface shaped and dimensioned to surround a major lower portion of the surface of the ball and functioning to secure the latter against accidental removal upwardly relative to the housing, an annular extension projecting loosely into the filling opening of the container and having an annular internal ball seat immediately below and coaxial with said upper interior surface, said extension projecting into the neck beyond the seat to terminate in a support portion for the seat underlying the seat, an exterior depending attaching skirt radially outward from and concentric with said ball seat, said skirt cooperating with the annular extension to form therebetween an annular recess receiving the rim of the neck therebetween, said skirt having an internalbead fitting in the extension groove for holding engagement with said container and the skirt being of less external diameter than the screw threads of the container neck; a closure cap telescoped over the fitment and the threaded neck and including a panel portion overlying and in contact with the ball, and a depending skirt portion having internal screw threads engaging the threads of the container neck; an annular upwardly facing shoulder on the fitment overlying said annular radial rim of the container, and an internal downwardly facing shoulder formed on the closure cap and engageable with the shoulder on said fitment,-the shouders each lying in a plane substantially normal to the container axis and positioned axially in relation to the panel portion of the closure cap and the ball so as to limit possible axial downward movement of the ball in the fitment resulting from threading of the cap on the container neck to a degree less than would distort and crack the support portion of the fitment beneath the ball seat after full seating of the ball and subsequent resilent distortion of the fitment support portion, said shoulders sealingly engaging one another to seal the periphery of the ball when the ball is seated on the internal fitment seat, and said shoulders urging the fitment downwardly with the cap to sealingly engage the container rim in the fitment recess.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

